Three top prospects build hopes of a better future for Astros

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Astros have the youth in their youth movement. The next thing to figure out is the movement.

The path of the Astros’ top prospects to the major leagues will come down to performance predominantly, but mix in a little bit of opportunity and luck, and you have the major multiyear storyline for the Astros as the team rebuilds from virtual nothingness.

The three consensus top prospects – pitcher and Clear Creek alum Jarred Cosart, first baseman and outfielder Jonathan Singleton and outfielder George Springer – are new to the organization in the last nine months and ideally form a core that could be in Houston a long time.

And there could at some point be choreography in their paths when it comes to the top prospects in the organization, all already settled in at Camp Kissimmee – two in major league camp and Cosart in minicamp for top pitching candidates.

“It’s good when players can come up the system together in groups, and it’s something that we experienced in St. Louis with guys like (Allen) Craig and (Jon) Jay and (Colby) Rasmus and (Daniel) Descalso,” said general manager Jeff Luhnow, a nine-year veteran of the Cardinals organization before the Astros hired him.

“We’re not going to force-fit groups, but when they emerge naturally it does make sense.”

Climbing the ladder

Cosart, 21, had seven starts in Class AA after the Philadelphia Phillies traded him from their high Class A club in the Hunter Pence deal. Singleton, 20, likely will start for the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks this year after wearing out high Class A after being included in the same deal.

Meanwhile, Springer, last year’s first-round pick, has played in only eight professional games but is the oldest of the three at 22 and played high-level college ball at Connecticut, giving him the pedigree to move quickly if his bat progresses.

Springer, who is rooming this spring with Singleton and another touted prospect in 2010 top pick Delino DeShields Jr., is optimistic about being part of this core on a team building around youth.

“We’re all under 23, so we still have a long way to go,” Springer said. “Hopefully within the next few years, you start to get the guys up here.”

Moving pieces

Springer will almost surely start at one of the Astros’ two full-season Class A clubs, Lexington or Lancaster. From there, he is under the care of Fred Nelson in Nelson’s position as director of player development.

Nelson handles the promotions between levels of the farm system and faces some of the same factors as the big league club in finding roster space.

“I don’t think you can get locked into everybody moving all together,” Nelson said. “There are times when guys do move all together, but it’s really based on ability, performance, need, opportunity, just like it is in the big leagues.”

Too early to tell

While this could become the core of the next contending Astros team, don’t expect the Astros to try to supplement this group with a No. 1 pick. They will be no more inclined to snag a college player with their first top pick in 20 years than to take a high schooler who will take much longer to develop and whose controllable service time wouldn’t match.

“Once you get past the fifth, sixth round, there’s an opportunity to look at our system and where could we benefit immediately from building some depth,” Luhnow said. “Early in the draft, it’s all about who are going to be the cornerstone players for the next 10 or 15 years for the Astros.”